Tag: Akon

The All Africa Music Award 2017 has come and gone but the dust it raised has not settled. Unlike previous editions, this year’s edition of the award had an international boost as Senegal-born, American-based superstar, Akon, hosted the show that housed some of Africa’s brightest stars.

Ever since he was announced as the host of the event, many who purchased tickets for the event had one thing in mind; to see the superstar perform some of his hit tracks. Sadly, their joy was cut short as the singer only hosted the event.

In a chat with Mike Dada, the brains behind the event, he explained why Akon failed to perform. “The award is a pan-African award and it is designed to showcase the beautiful talents that abound in Africa. The main reason Akon did not perform that night was because we did not want him to take the shine off African artistes. If he had performed, it would have shifted the focus and vision of the award. That was why he hosted the show,” he said.

When asked if the American superstar gave them the value for their money, he simply said, “We are very pleased with Akon’s performance because he was able to carry the crowd along. We chose Akon because of the great works he has been doing in Africa. His Light-up Africa project whereby he seeks to supply some African communities with stable power has been lauded all over the world. He is also one artiste that is concerned with the development of African talents as he has collaborated with a lot of African artistes. This shows how much he loves the continent and his vision for Africa aligns with ours.”

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